Alumni Holiday Cruise

Our Mission

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the principles of wisdom in the Rule of St. Benedict.

Our Vision

Benedictine University aspires to be a thought leader in Catholic higher education. We seek to provide a transformative and integrative educational experience grounded in Benedictine values, helping students shape lives of meaning and purpose as engaged citizens who care for the earth, welcome people of diverse faiths and cultures, and promote the common good.

Where does your tuition go?

So where do your tuition dollars go? Here are just a few examples:

• To compensate faculty and underwrite faculty development. Eighty-seven percent of Benedictine’s faculty have the highest degree in their fields, but professional development is ongoing and so is the cost of hiring and maintaining an excellent faculty.

• To build new classrooms. Benedictine continues to bring new classrooms online to accommodate our growing number of students and expanding programs. Part of the buildout of the lower levels of Birck and Kindlon Halls included the addition of new classrooms.

• To provide new laboratories and science equipment. Benedictine’s reputation in the sciences is partly based on our ability to provide students with the latest tools and advances.

• To build and maintain new facilities for the physical well-being of our students. In addition, the recent renovations to the Rice Center were partially achieved through donations and bonds, but the University must also pay for maintenance and upkeep of these facilities.

• To support programs like the College of Science Summer Research program, which allows students to gain hands-on experience by working closely with faculty on a variety of projects.

• To maintain Benedictine’s residence halls, which are an integral part of academic life. Room and board only covers part of the cost of maintaining these buildings. The University recently provided all residence halls with new furniture, including twin XL-size bunkable beds with approximately 16¼ inches of space underneath, double-drawer wood wardrobes, maple desks and upholstered two-position chairs. Free washers and dryers are also included on the lower levels of every residence hall.

• To subsidize student clubs and organizations, which provide students with the opportunity to hone their leadership and interpersonal skills and to grow socially, and to sponsor activities that promote social interaction among all students such as Carnival, Spring Ball, Homecoming Dance, Pancake Night, Tie-Dye Day and Canoe Lake St. Benedict. The activity fee only covers a portion of these operations.

• To support academic centers of learning like the Center for Civic Leadership, which helps students become better citizens and community leaders though seminars and visiting speakers.

• To provide athletic programs that develop leadership and cooperative skills among students and serve as a source of pride for the entire community. More than 450 students participate in intercollegiate athletics annually.

• To develop new degree programs such as the major in Business Analytics; developing relevant, meaningful academic programs means better job opportunities for students following graduation.

• To provide our students with the latest technological tools, computer software and hardware.

• To support campus recreational programs like yoga and Pilates. We are committed to developing student’s physical well-being as well as their minds.

• To support student services such as the Student Success Center, which provides supplemental teaching, tutoring, textbook assistance and disability support services, and the Office of Career Development, which helps students prepare for life after college.

• To maintain the Benedictine Police Department, which helps make Benedictine the second safest four-year campus in Illinois.
Those are just a few of the areas which rely on tuition dollars.
As a nonprofit university, every dollar that the university takes in is reinvested in the success – present and future – of our students.

Comparable Value:When compared nationally by region, Benedictine’s tuition, fees and room and board costs are about 32 percent less than the highest private nonprofit four-year college in the United States, according to a 2011-2012 published tuition and fee costs report by College Board on “Trends in College Pricing.” On average, students borrow less than $20,000 in federal student loans to complete a Benedictine undergraduate degree. The national average student loan debt for 2013 graduates is $35,000, according to a CNNMoney report.

Committed to Assisting Students:Benedictine University is committed to serving a diverse student body as well as seeking out students who may believe they cannot afford a private education. More than 94 percent of incoming freshmen at Benedictine receive some form of financial aid. But what may be more surprising is that more than 98 percent of these freshmen receive institutional grants – that’s free money that does not have to be repaid. And of this 98 percent, Benedictine Students receive more than $10,000 each in free University aid.